Frost

The Return

 Grandma saw the look on my face after I heard the voice. 

"Anya what is the matter? Come to the table. Dinner is ready and talk to me." She concernedly asked me. I nodded and followed her into the kitchen, and I swore that I was also being followed as well. I set the table pulling out two plates. 

"Pull out another plate Anya." She instructed me after she watched me pull out two plates.

"Why?" I asked her, truly curious.

"Just do." She said.

I did what I was told and pulled out another plate. I grabbed three forks, knives, and cups. I set the table and sat down in my spot. Grandma served the food, and placed a large portion on the plate of the empty place. We said grace and I began to eat.

"Anya, there's something I need to tell you that I have been meaning to tell you before we were so kindly interrupted by our kindly pastor." Grandma spoke. I nodded.

"There are spirits that are entrusted and are given the duties of Guardians of certain aspects of Nature and the Seasons. There are also Deities that are very powerful. They come from The Other World. Their job is to make sure the world is balanced and in harmony." She spoke.

"Anya, what I am about to tell you might scare you or think that I am just telling a folk story. Listen to me, this is important." She said. She paused eating a little bit and took a huge and long sip of her tea.

"Anya, I think that you have gained favor with a very powerful spirit." She said.

I chocked on my food.

"What?" I asked.

"Grandma I don't think that's true. It's just my imagination." I told her.

"Like what just happened with the window?" She sarcastically stated. 

That shut me up. I thought about it. I didn't think it was true. I didn't believe in spirits to the extent that Grandma did, yet something in me thought it made sense. 

"Anya, gaining favor with a spirit can be a huge and great honor. It can be a curse as well." 

"How?"

"Things will happen both good and bad. It can drive a person mad."

"I don't want a spirit to gain favor! It's creepy!"

"Anya, I know and understand, but it is what it is. There is nothing you can do about it."

"I'll find away."

"I know ya stubborn, but I warn ye child of mine to give up the idea before it starts. It will come to bite ya in the arse."

"I don't understand Grandma, this is silly to me."

"Anya. You think that all this weird stuff is bad? It will get worse."

"How can it get any worse?"

"Challenge accepted."  The voice said. Grandma saw the look on my face and chuckled.

"So what did it say?" She asked.

"Challenge accepted." I said.

"Was it serious?" She asked.

"No, it was playful. Teasing." I told her/

"Well, how bout that? This spirit has a sense of humor." She said chuckling.

"Anya try to understand what the spirit wants. Most times spirits favor mere humans because they need a favor or task to be done.  I will try to figure out what this spirit is, but it is you that must figure out what it wants." She told me.

"What if it doesn't need or want a task or favor done? What is it then?" I asked. Grandma immediately stopped eating. For a long time she was silent.

"It could mean that....." She started to say.

"Mean what?"

"Never mind. Forget it. I was thinking aloud." She said, getting up and gathering our plates and placing them in the sink. I offered to wash but she refused.

"Grandma, how do I figure this out?" I asked.

"Do I have to talk to it?" I asked.

"No but just watch and listen. Spirits are indirect. It is up to you to figure out what they mean." She said. And with that she dismissed me to do my homework.

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I finished my homework around eleven. I even got ahead in some classes. I needed anything to distract me from what Grandma said. I didn't believe a thing that she said. Spirits? There's no such thing! Logically it wasn't; logically it was my mind playing tricks on me, and grandma interpreted that as spirits. But the voice and what happened with the pastor stuck with me, and part of my mind said that grandma was right. Gaining favor? What did that mean? I didn't know and while I was taking a shower I kept pondering it. I decided to not think about it any longer. Despite what Grandma told me, I was going to get rid of this....whatever it was.

"I wouldn't do that, Anya."  the voice said.

"Yes I am." I muttered.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you're not real." I firmly said as I climbed into bed.

"Are you sure about that?" The voice said as I fell asleep.

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I woke up in the middle of the night. 

"Oh my god! Did the heater break?" I whispered. My room felt so cold! I sat up in bed for a while. I looked towards my window and got the strangest feeling, which was to go to the window. I got up from my bed ignoring the cold and made my way to the window. I reached the window and looked out. It was a full moon and I saw that the ground was covered in frost. As I looked out, something caught my eye. I looked down and I gasped.

There was a boy starring up at me!

We kept staring for awhile. I wanted to bolt and go back to bed but I didn't. Instead I walked towards the door. I felt as if I was sleep walking and I walked outside before I realized it. I was barefoot but I didn't feel a thing. I walked towards the boy and kept walking. I did not stop until I was face to face with the boy.

His hair was spiky and reached to the back of his neck, almost to his shoulders and it was silver. He was ghostly pale, and yet he glowed. He was taller than I, about Hans's height and Hans was very tall. He was lean and looked like he was seventeen or eighteen. He had the most beautiful and unique eyes that I have ever seen. They were blue. But they were a glowing ice blue with a silver ring around the irises and around there they were a deep blue. They were mysterious and hypnotizing.

His clothing was from colonial times. A long sleeve cream shirt, long brown pants that were tattered at the bottom and he wore a dark brown cloak.

He wore no shoes.

I reached out to touch him. I don't know why but I did. He face felt so smooth and soft.

"Anya, I have Returned." he said.

And with that I woke up.